Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Thakkali Sadham (Tomato Rice)

Aaah... Thakkali sadham... Just thinking of it brings a huge smile to my face! Amma used to make it a lot when we were younger as it was one of her and my brother's favorite things to eat. The thing is, I never used to be very fond of it as a child. Now, I simply adore it! Funny how tastes change with age, huh?

This version that I'm showing you here is a very simple one and pretty much sticks to Amma's original recipe. I called my mom the other day because I suddenly realized that I had a bunch of tomatoes and wanted to make her special (to me) thakkali sadham. She gave me the recipe over the phone and I made it that very night. Can I tell you the amazing things I felt while cooking it?

Gosh! The fragrances that were emanating from the pot took me right back to my childhood! I almost had tears in my eyes from being so happy! And the taste... Oh, the taste... That first bite and I knew I had done it. Amma's thakkali sadham was recreated in my own kitchen and now I'm sharing the simple, but special recipe with you!

Thakkali sadham putting on airs!

Ingredients:

Cooked rice - 1 cup
Tomatoes - 2 vine-ripe or 3 medium plum tomatoes, chopped
Green bell pepper - 1/2 medium, chopped
Onion - 1 medium, chopped
Garlic - 2 cloves, finely chopped
Peas - 1/4 cup cooked or defrosted frozen peas
Green chillies - 4, or to taste
Chilli powder - 2 tsp, or to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil
Lime juice - 2 tsp, or to taste

For seasoning:

Oil
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 6-8, torn

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves. When they splutter, add the cut onions and green chillies. Fry until the onions soften a bit.

2. Now, add the bell peppers and fry until crisp-tender.

3. At this point, add the chopped garlic, peas, tomatoes, salt, and masala powders. Fry until the raw smell disappears and the tomatoes have softened. This is the time to add the cooked rice and stir well. Check for seasoning. Turn off the heat and add lime juice. Mix once more and serve hot with raita, chips, appalam, or all by itself! Simple, right?

A bite for you!

35 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow..thakkali sadham is my favorite too..looks amazing

Madhavi said...

tomato rice my fav...love the pic kalai, very nice recipe, thanxx for sharing!!!

Namratha said...

First off, lovely pics. We love Tomato Rice and the more versions I come across the better :)

Cham said...

Lovely pictures Kalai, can i have some please?

Unknown said...

looks yummy...am going to make this today..

indosungod said...

Tomato Rice recipe from mom. How can it go wrong. Looks really awesome.

Nupur said...

That is some gorgeous tomato rice! I can't wait for summer tomatoes to try this luscious recipe.

Deepa Kuber said...

nice pic kalai, nice entry.
i have tagged u for 10 pictures meme. u can do it if u r interested.

FH said...

Another one for me to try, list is getting longer and longer!:)

Uma said...

Yep, mom's recipes are the best! It's really special. Tomato rice looks so inviting, Kalai! Thanks for offering us a bite of it (Just a bite? Why not the whole meal?). I am taking that plate of tomato rice right out from the picture. Yummy!

Kalai said...

Thanks, Divya! :)

My pleasure, Madhavi! :)

My thoughts exactly, Namratha and thanks for the compliment abt the pics! :)

Cham, please help yourself, dear. :)

Sowmya, look forward to your feedback, girl! :)

Kalai said...

Indo, mom's always right! :)

Nupur, welcome to my blog and thank you! Summer tomatoes are definitely the best for this! :)

Anjali, will get to it soon. Have been tagged by Uma for that one too! :)

Ashakka, I know exactly what you mean!! :)

Uma, thank you and please help yourself to a whole meal! :)

Sig said...

I am not a big Tomato rice fan, so you are saying I should give it another try, maybe my taste buds have changed too, huh? :) Yours looks very tempting for sure....

EC said...

Colourful comfort food

kamala said...

Kalai send it by parcel soooo good.supera irukku

Pravs said...

nice pic and looks yummy too. Even i was not into tomato rice..but then got to like it.

Shravan Vijayaprasad said...

thakkali saadam is too good!! Would you mind guest bloggin on one of my sites??

bha said...

Well, I must admit that I am not a fan of tomato rice, but ur snaps are awesome and make me drool

sra said...

CHips, that's my favourite accompaniment!

TBC said...

I too like tomato rice.:-)
Aren't mom's recipes the best?!

Anonymous said...

hiii....lovely recipe..and have passed on the yummy blog award to you!!!

Cynthia said...

Very enticing photographs.

Prema Sundar said...

yeah... who doesn't love tomato rice. Adding bellpeppers , peas and lime juice is new to me but would love to try it sometime.
The pics a very tempting.. ur sevai picture too. very nice.

Richa said...

wow! thakkali sadham looks so good, kalai :)

Ramya said...

mouth-watering pics... hmm.. kalakkra kalai.. super.. enna camera use panra.. romba azhaga irukku pics ellam.. samaithu paarkalaam nu title paatha tamil ponnu nu nenachu tamizh la pesren.. badhil sollu ma.. tamil dhaane?

Seema said...

Tomato Rice is welcome anytime... i always felt it tastes great at picnics!!

Jayashree said...

Lovely pics....looks very tempting.

Anonymous said...

Your tomato rice looks delicious! The pics are great!

Shah cooks said...

i love a good tomato rice. is it the memories that make the food tastier or the food that makes the memory sweeter?:)

Kalai said...

Sig, you never know, right? It just might be worth a try! :)

Thanks, EC!

Veetukku vaanga, Kamala. :)

Great minds (?) think alike, huh, Pravs? :)

Shravan, welcome to my blog. Thanks so much! :)

Bhags, thanks for the ultra sweet compliment! :)

Kalai said...

Sra, mine too! :)

Absolutely, TBC! Moms rock! :)

Priya, thank you so much!! :)

Thanks, Cynthia! :)

Prema, somehow Amma always made it that way, but it's really delicious! :)

Richa, thanks! :)

Ramya, mikka mikka nanri, ma. Naan vandhu US-la pirandhaalum, 100% tamil ponnu dhaan! :)

Kalai said...

Perfect for picnics and road trips, Seema! :)

Thanks, Jayashree! :)

Homecooked, thanks, dear! :)

Shn, now that's a good question. Sort of like the chicken and egg question, don't you think? I was going to say the memories make the food tastier, but the reverse applies, too! :)

Hetal said...

hey me and my husband both love tomato rice,gr8 .....and u have a nice blog..

Jans said...

Nice blog Kalai....Tomato rice reminded me of school days, my mom prepared this one for our busy school lunches quite often....miss those days....

Radhika said...

It looks so tempting and it also happens to be my favorite. Great pics btw